Tonight I was in Milo to stream the annual fishing derby prize drawing online. For the first time in years it went perfectly! No technical difficulties, no cameras dying, no rebooting from windows updates while streaming, no wireless issues, and no horrible sound. It was great!!

The USB microphone and new webcam I picked up were perfect. Even the library’s wireless cooperated for once.

I just spent 10 minutes in line at the store behind an elderly gentleman. First he bought his groceries, then proceeded to try getting money off his food stamps card, unsuccessfully, 3 times. Once it did go through, he turned around and bought chewing tobacco with the money.

I need a new web project, and I’ve come up with one. TRC 8.1. Its been over a year since TRC was upgraded to version 8.0, and its high time we had some updates and changes. I haven’t got anything to really announce yet, but several ideas in the works. I’m hoping to motivate myself tonight to sit down and go over the entire site and see what needs work.

I am the proud new owner of a USB Microphone, picture below. I’m hoping this will help with the horrible audio issues I ran into last year at the Prize Drawing for the Schoodic Lake Ice Fishing Derby. I’ve broadcast the event live on TRC for quite a few years now, but the last few years we ran into some pretty horrid sound issues. The built-in mic on my usb webcams just haven’t been cutting it. This is a nice looking microphone!

I’m actually contemplating buying a nicer webcam to go with it now. I currently have a pretty decent one I picked up at work, but it failed me this past summer when trying to broadcast a parade outdoors. It had some issues with white balance, and washing out to white when encountering reflections. I think a nice new Logitech camera might be in order…

Got back into Minecraft a bit today. Worked some on the harbor area of Pyke. New pier/wharf, and the hollow shell of what will be a large Fish Market. Still working on how to the far left side. Also need to start building the castle on the mountaintop. And I think I want to put a mercenary’s guild of some sort here.

The Developing Side of PykeEventually will be the Great Fish MarketGreat Fish Market

Here be the tale of my epic battle with healthcare.gov, and the copious amounts of evil there-in.

Like every other American, I had to re-enroll for my insurance coverage at healthcare.gov. It was a horrible, horrible spectacle. The madness began with the absurdity of some of the questions I had to answer. For starters, I’m a single person applying for coverage, and one of the first questions is whether I’m a US Citizen. After stating that I am, I was subsequently asked if I was recenty adopted, or if my emigration status had recently changed. I found this odd, as I already said yes I’m a citizen, and obviously I wasn’t recently adopted if I’m applying for my own coverage. I was then asked if I planned on filing a tax return in 2015. I never knew it was an option!

I eventually made it through the application form, and made a horrible discovery. I made a bit more money this year than I had originally “predicted” when first applying. This means I’m most likely going to have to pay in a couple hundred dollars to make up the difference, as I don’t qualify for the amount of “help” that was previously determined.

This also means that next year, my plan is going to cost a hell of a lot more. Last year I originally qualified for $130/month in assistance, but next year its going to be under $80 a month. Its ridiculous!

In the end, I downgraded from a Silver Plan to a Bronze Plan, and I end up paying about $1.50 more a month than I was last year.

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